New ebook: Jewish guide to visiting China

As many people know, I’ve visited China seven times over the last three years, traveling there to give courses in Python and Ruby. I just got back from my most recent trip, and found it to be as fun and exciting as ever. You could say that I’ve gotten a bit obsessed with the country; I read books about China, have been taking daily Chinese lessons since August, and publish a free weekly newsletter (Mandarin Weekly) with links to useful resources for people learning Chinese.

Given that I keep kosher and Shabbat, other religious Jews are increasingly asking me for advice on what, where, and how they can be Jewishly observant when visiting China on business or pleasure. No one in China is likely to know or care about such subjects, let alone know anything about Judaism, so it can be a bit daunting to visit there for the first time.

I’ve collected my advice into a 40-page ebook, the “Jewish guide to visiting China.” If you’re a religiously observant Jew who will be visiting China for short periods of time, then I believe this guide can significantly reduce the time (and stress) you’ll need to invest before your trip.

I’m just launching it now — and for the first week it’s online, I’m offering a discount coupon (“YouTaiRen” — aka 犹太人 — the word for “Jew” in Chinese) giving 20% off of the normal $6 price. This price includes PDF, Mobi, and ePub formats, which should suit any computer or ebook reader.

I’ve been guiding China for close to ten years and I really enjoyed your ebook. Some wonderful and practical info for anyone who knows that lack of a known hechsher does not inherently mean lack of kashrut. Well done!